“During
World War II, two soldiers
from neutral Sweden disappear after
leaving their post to go to the border
of occupied Norway and catch a
glimpse of the Nazis — and the brother
of one will go to hell and back to rescue
his sibling in the gripping Swedish
war film Beyond The Border...”
ORDERED TO SET UP A ROADBLOCK close to the border of occupied Norway, a group
of Swedish soldiers settle down to check passing traffic. But young Sven Stenström
(Martin Wallström) and Halvars (Anders Nordahl) decide to go to the Norwegian
border to see the Nazis and strike out in the snow on Christmas Eve, 1942.
Lieutenant Aron Stenström (André Sjöberg: As It Is In Heaven; The Accidental
Rebel) has to postpone his wedding to his pregnant fiancée Karin Lindström
(Marie Robertson) when he receives orders from Major Adolfsson (Johan Hedenberg)
to report on German troop movements along the border and to seek out his contact
in Norway, Egil (Bjørn Sundquist), a man with every reason to hate the Nazis.
On his return to his men at Checkpoint 81 with the orders, Aron is shocked to
find that his much-loved younger brother and his friend have been missing for
some time. He is now faced with putting together a dangerous mission to rescue
the young soldiers and fears for Sven's safety.
A job that was expected to be shovelling snow and blocking roads turns into
a nightmare as Aron teams up with his friend Wille Järvinen (Antti Reini), a
veteran of the Finnish war that cost him an eye, and the two set out through
the heavy snow in the Norwegian forest to find out what happened to Sven and
Halvars.
Having no idea that Germany is planning to invade Sweden, a senior officer is
trying to override the orders of Major Adolfsson, who is supportive of the rescue
attempt. A team of soldiers is sent to stop Aron's mission, further endangering
the lives of his men.
The discovery of a mutilated body brings the stark reality of the callousness
of the Nazis to the Swedes, and it has a disturbing effect on the younger soldiers
under Aron's command. Distressed at seeing their friend had suffered an agonising
death, young soldiers Henrik Wicksell (Henrik Norlén) and Bergström (Jonas Karlström)
are terrified at the prospect of going on.
It is soon clear that it would be better for Aron and Wille to go on alone as
the secret rescue mission leads them behind Nazi lines, deeper into the dark
Norwegian woods, where danger lurks behind every tree. An unexpected brush with
Nazis led by the brutal Captain Keller (Rasmus Troedsson) leads to further tragedy
and a crashed German courier plane reveals Operation Arctic Fox — Hitler's
top-secret plan to invade Sweden.
But nothing will dissuade Aron from completing his mission and discovering what
has happened to his younger brother. As the assignment becomes more perilous,
Aron soon realises that many borders need to be crossed if any of them are to
get out alive.
During the Second World War, almost 300 Swedish soldiers disappeared without
trace along the border with Nazi-occupied Norway. This is the story of six of
them. Beyond The Border is a fine Swedish World War II action drama crammed
with finger-chewing tension. Set in Sweden and Norway, the movie has an exciting
storyline with easy-to-read subtitles. There are some gory moments, but that's
war! And the atmospheric music is terrific.
Beyond The Border also features: Mathias Alstadsäter, Christer Broström
and Anton Damperud as Soldiers; Robert Follin as Uno Larsson; Jens Hultén as
Hagman; Jonas Karlström as Bergström; and Frederik Nilsson as Tysk radio operator.
Cinematography by Andreas Wessberg; Original Music by Henrik Lindström and Aton
Steen; Writers: André Sjöberg, Johnny Steen; Executive Producer: Anna Yranos;
Produced by André Sjöberg and Johnny Steen; and Directed by Richard Holm (Johan
Falk: National Target; Johan Falk: Leo Gaut).
• Beyond The Border (Gränsen), director
Richard Holm's intriguing Swedish World War II action drama about courage and
love in the shadow of WW2, is released on DVD, courtesy of Optimum Home Entertainment,
on 8 August 2011. Feature Running Time: 117 Minutes.
"Beyond The Border is a fine Swedish World War II action drama crammed
with finger-chewing tension" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
“During
World War II, two soldiers